In Lies, Truth
by Lethargy
Summary: UPDATED! 30 lies, in no particular order. You just know they're hiding something behind those smiles. But they're too well bred to admit it, much less acknowledge it. And so they shall never be. Mostly unrequited ExT.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Card Captor Sakura and related enterprises are property of CLAMP, bless them and their character-eye-gouging souls. This disclaimer hereby applies to all chapters of this fic, because these things are probably redundant on a fanfiction site to begin with...

**Opening Notes:** Based on prompts from the ever-popular 30lies challenge community on livejournal. For the uninitiated: each story is based on a pre-established theme and must contain a lie in some form or another within it. Enjoy.

-ooo-

**#5 Half-truth**

Tomoyo always writes in pen, never in pencil, and Eriol could never understand why.

"It's because I never make mistakes," she replied when he asked, with a smile that sparkled as brilliantly as broken glass.

Once he returned from a trip to England to give her a fountain pen, a joking gift on a whim inspired by his own curiosity. She'd held it gently then, as she did all things, before carefully putting it away in her box of treasures next to a small pink bunny eraser.

He realized then that Tomoyo always smiled and accepted, but she never forgot.

-ooo-

**#3 Cover-up**

She has been ill over the winter and so Eriol invites her over for tea one gloriously sunny, radiant spring afternoon. They sit across from each other and he talks cheerfully about the weather, the season, and the sakura blooming in her garden until he realizes that she is not replying.

He stops, and the sudden pause in his rhythm is enough to make her stir and look at him with half-seeing eyes.

"I'm sorry, Hiiragizawa-kun," her voice is soft enough to be muffled beneath the glow of the sun. "I wasn't listening. Did you say something?"

"Are you feeling all right, Daidouji-san?"

Her hair is bathed in a wreath of light that makes it shimmer and shine like spun silver as she wraps her arms around herself.

"I'm afraid it's a bit cold today."

He accompanies her home like the gentleman he is, and says nothing when she closes the curtains to block the pink blossoms drifting past her window.

-ooo-

**#20 Masquerade**

They are sitting together outside a little French cafÈ, surrounded by round tables and chattering couples. She is here for business, he is here--by chance, he claims--on a walk through the city on a lovely afternoon.

Tomoyo hadn't planned this little stop, but Eriol insisted--after all, they were old friends that hadn't seen each other in years. She was too polite to refuse.

Formalities are exchanged, stories shared, before the waiter arrives with their order. Two cups are set before them: Earl Grey for him, black coffee for her, as well as a bowl of sugar and a small pitcher of milk. He inhales the familiar scent of the tea before raising the rim to his lips, eyes widening slightly when he sees her doing the same.

"I wasn't aware you drank your coffee black, Daidouji-san," he speaks, faintly surprised.

She pauses, glancing at him with a slight smile. "Is it too bitter for your tastes, Hiiragizawa-kun?"

He finds himself scoffing. "Hardly. But I would think that it is too much for yours, my dear."

"You underestimate me," Tomoyo replies, sipping calmly. "I've found that the lack of sugar enhances the flavor."

"A stronger taste, is it?"

"Quite so."

"But very harsh."

"It makes everything else that much sweeter." She raises an eyebrow at him to make her point.

"Yet alone," He sets his cup back on its saucer. "There is nothing but more bitterness, is there?"

She smiles at him, again. "Some things are best left unchanged."

Eriol understands, but pretends not to. "And the others?"

"Are already changed, and better left undisturbed."

A few seconds later, her cell phone rings, and Tomoyo apologizes while answering the call. A meeting has come up and her presence is required. She makes her exit with her usual grace, and he stands to send her off.

"Thank you, Hiiragizawa-kun. It was pleasant meeting you again. I wish you well for the rest of your day."

_Let her happiness be the path to my happiness._

"As do I, Daidouji-san. Farewell."

_A path walked alone, Tomoyo-chan?_

"Good-bye."

_Yes, Eriol-kun._

They do not meet again.

-ooo-

**#26 Misunderstanding**

There were certain advantages to being the reincarnation of one of the world's greatest magicians. Knowing your future years ahead of schedule came with the package, and Eriol never ceased to use his keen powers of foresight.

He'd seen visions of her since the very beginning: a priestess of the moon, with long flowing hair, destined to be the light of his own shadowed sun. She was lithe and graceful and surrounded by red--but that was all he could see, for she stayed stubbornly in shadow no matter what he did.

She haunted his thoughts and lurked in the corners of his English mansion; he could not bear the emptiness and tried to fill it with his guardians. When born, they only seemed to mock him: a brilliant scarlet moon and a dark gloomy sun, fragments of his dreams that tried their best to love him.

Years afterwards, he meets Kaho Mizuki and feels relieved at having resolved his visions at last. Still later, he receives her call and flies to Tomoeda, where he proceeds to wreck merry havoc with his heiress-to-be, her faithful friend, and his cute little descendent.

He almost feels regretful on the day he is to leave them, but hides it behind a smile that provokes flustered reactions from the two redheaded children. (Really, he couldn't help but see them as such, so young and adorable.) Their friend comes between them, a sea of serenity that smiles in reply and elegantly wishes him well. (She, on the other hand, was different. Poised and in control and--Eriol half-suspected, just as skilled in manipulation as himself.)

He looks at each face clearly, reserving a softer gaze for Clow's ex-Guardians, making sure each has a place in his memory. Kaho calls and he answers her, finalizing his departure.

On his first night back he dreams of her again, the first time since he'd left for Japan. She is standing, back towards him by a lotus pond that reflects the full moon. This time he is able to approach her, and he does, hand stretched out to touch her shoulder as he confidently speaks the words--

_"I know you"_

--only he realizes, as she turns, that he does not, because she is a stranger. An ethereal being, indescribably beautiful; a princess cloaked in amethyst robes embroidered with crescent moons, whose face is hidden in shadow but whose eyes call out to him from their violet depths.

She speaks, but stops when she realizes he cannot hear her. He reaches for her again, questioning, and she backs away, still staring him down. There is disappointment and something else--was it sadness? Disbelief? He couldn't tell in the light--in her eyes as she shakes her head slowly and disappears.

He rushes forward to where she stood but senses nothing in the air. Despair and confusion fills him--he has lost her already without ever knowing who she was and yet--and yet something insisted that he did know her, and had, in fact, met her before.

-

Ten years later he sees her again, standing with Sakura and Syaoran at Tomoeda's school reunion. They are flustered and blushing; she is the same as always, calm and collected as she zooms in for an 'exclusive shot' of her favorite person.

He steps forward, but stops as a sudden crash causes a shower of crimson petals to explode from the ceiling, accompanied by confetti and a hanging pink banner with the words: "Happy Valentine's Day!!" in golden letters.

"Ah, Takashi you idiot! You released it too early!!" a shrill voice screeches from the left, followed by what sounds suspiciously like choking noises.

In the aftermath, he finds himself picking rose petals from her hair, and marvels at how her smile stings like a thorn in his heart.

-ooo-

**#07 Make believe; fantasy**

_Once upon a time there were two sisters, both princesses, who lived in an enchanted tower high up in the clouds. They were equally beautiful and kind, but different as dawn and dusk, and for that they were named Twilght and Tierce. Since birth, they had been the closest of confidantes and cared for each other deeply. Yet one day their peace was interrupted by the arrival of a little bird that half-flew, half-fell through the tower's one lone window. It was rare for any living creature to reach the tower, even if it could fly, and the princesses were quick to take notice._

_"How could such a little thing have gotten so lost, so high?" Twilight mused out loud as she knelt by the bird, a smile lighting up her lavender eyes._

_"Maybe it was trying to find the end of the sky," spoke Tierce, looking out the window to the endless blue beyond. "Maybe it needed to know if it went up forever."_

_The bird chirruped, hobbling along the grund as it dragged one wing behind its body. It was injured, and the two sisters quickly decided to tend to its wounds._

_A few days after the bird was well again, another visitor appeared, this time by climbing through the window. He was the proud prince of a distant land, who had scaled the tower in hopes of finding the injured bird._

_"Then he belongs to you?" asked Tierce, even as the creature joyfully skipped in her palm. "He was injured when he flew in. My sister and I treated his wounds." She stepped forward and extended her hand towards the prince, who did likewise, and the little bird promptly hopped onto his wrist and then his shoulder._

_"Thank you for your help," said the prince, turning slightly red when the princess's hand brushed against his. "The bird belongs to my cousin, and she will be very grateful to have him back. As am I."_

_There was a soft trill, and the trio watched as the little bird fluttered to the window ledge and dove off, out of sight. A few seconds later it rose anew, a large and majestic creature with wings reborn._

_"I must return," said the prince with a bow. And then, he paused. "Would you princesses like to leave as well?"_

_The younger princess hesitated, glancing at her sister with uncertainty in her emerald eyes. _

_"You go on," said the elder, with a happy nod. "Perhaps, with him, you will find an end to the world you've always wanted to see."_

_So Tierce bid her sister farewell and flew off with the prince, with a promise to return after she had seen the world. And Twilight promised herself that she would stay and wait until that day arrived._

_But alas for the sisters, for the tower was cursed, and those who left its walls could never return. Still Twilight waited, day after day, week after week, yet there was no sign of Tierce. Finally a day came when she met a new visitor--a wandering magician who had happened upon the tower by chance and offered to free her from her imprisonment._

_"I must refuse, kind sir," said Twilight, "For my sister Tierce has not returned, and I have promised to wait for her." _

_The magician was a clever youth who understood the mysteries of the tower. He tried to explain them to the princess, but Twilight still refused to leave. And because he was so struck by her loveliness, he was loath to go without her._

"Hiiragizawa-kun!"

He stops abruptly to look up.

"Ah, Daidouji-san."

He is sitting in the corner with a group of children at the Daidouji Toy Company's charity party. Tomoyo had invited him--along with all her other friends--to attend, and he had accepted despite the distances.

She tilts her head to the side, an amused smile playing on her lips. "Making up stories again? At your age?"

His tone is simple, his smile enigmatic. "You're never too old for fairy tales."

"Ne, ne, what happened to the princess and the magician?" a little girl asks, tugging on his shirt.

"Well then," Eriol returns to face her indulgently.

"So the magician decided that he would wait until she was ready, and sat with Princess Twilight until the end of time."

-ooo-

**Closing Notes: **Until next time...


	2. Chapter 2

**Opening Notes: **Second batch up. The genre has been officially switched to "General/Romance", because I realized trying to write 30 angst-themed pieces would depress me too much. Heh. Have fun hunting out random crossovers I sneaked in. _(Did anyone catch the subtle nod to TRC!Tomoyo in the last chapter?)_ All non-canon Eriol appearances take place in an AU where everyone attends the same school, for convenience's sake.

ooo

_**#19: rationalization**_

"—and of course, the saying 'when pigs fly' is based on reports of an English farmer who successfully transplanted wings from his flock of chickens—" Eriol says, with Yamazaki nodding along.

"But chickens can't fly," someone pipes up.

"Ah, but their wings can," Yamazaki says without skipping a beat.

"Then why don't we put them on people?"

Eriol shakes his head. "They never got a chance to."

"How come?"

"It was in the middle of a famine. People needed chicken wings for food."

"How about now?"

"The last farmer that knew how to do it died from overeating. He'd trained his flying pigs to steal food from his neighbors."

Horrified exclamations rise around the room as Yamazaki nods gravely.

"That's right. And when he died, all the pigs were made into pork chops, with their existence reduced to legend—ACK!"

Yamazaki gets dragged away by Chiharu, and the story ends abruptly. As the crowd disperses, Syaoran turns to Sakura with an enlightened expression.

"You know, I think Clow Reed was a farmer."

"A farmer?" Sakura blinks. "What do you mean?"

"It's your Sun Guardian." Syaoran says. "Clow created him. But all he does is fly around, eat like a pig, and steal your cake whenever he gets the chance."

Sakura is unconvinced. "But what about Yue?"

"Hmm. Well, farmers in the past planted crops according to the weather." Tomoyo pipes up from Sakura's side, though she was half in jest. "Clow could have used his guardians as walking almanacs."

"That makes sense," Sakura says slowly. "I wonder what kind of vegetables he grew."

As she and Syaoran debate over the possibilities, Tomoyo sees Eriol out of the corner of her eye.

Strange…was Hiiragizawa-kun's left eyebrow twitching?

ooo

_**#14: means to an end**_

"What's that book you're reading, Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked one day during lunch. "You're been buried in it since morning."

"Have I?" Sakura blinked over the covers. "Sorry, Tomoyo-chan! Um, it's this really cool fantasy series from Naoko-chan."

"What's it about?"

"Oh! Well…there's this boy, see, who finds out he's actually a wizard with magical powers, and ends up in school with a house of lions…" Sakura began, but was cut off as Syaoran scooted over to stare at the cover.

"Huh. Guy doesn't seem like much." He scowled. "And he looks like Hiiragizawa."

"He's a cousin of mine from England, if you must know," As if right on cue, the boy in question joined them. Sakura and Syaoran's eyes widened.

"He's your _cousin_?"The pair exclaimed, one in shock, the other in horror.

"A very distant relation," Eriol stressed. "Differences in magical heritage kept us apart, although we apparently share the same taste for redheads."

Sakura blinked as Eriol turned to give her a cheerful smile. "H-hoe?"

In response, Syaoran's expression darkened. Eriol's smile didn't waver, but Sakura was starting to turn pink at the cheeks.

"Sakura," Syaoran growled. "Let me read that book."

"Syaoran-kun?" Sakura turned, flushing. "But I thought you didn't like the cover?"

The boy grunted. "I want to know what's in it."

After school, Tomoyo hummed cheerfully from her spot in the bushes as she recorded Sakura and Syaoran walking out of the school gates side-by-side. Both heads were bent over the pages of _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone__*****_.

"Another successful capture, I take it?" Eriol asked from beside her.

"Only with your help," Tomoyo said graciously. "I introduced Naoko to the series, but you were the original inspiration."

"I'm pleased to have been of assistance."

Tomoyo giggled. "You two really _are _alike, you know."

"Hardly so."

"Oh, but Hiiragizawa-kun and Potter-san both wear glasses, both know magic…"

"Circumstantial details."

"…and both had to grow up alone."

Eriol paused. As the reincarnation of Clow Reed, he had been forced to grow up very quickly. After moving into the mansion in England, he created his guardians, a surrogate family. Yet for years, the burden of Clow's magic and memories had always been his alone. And somehow, this girl, who had no magical powers of her own, _knew_.

Then he looked into her eyes, and saw the same loneliness reflected in shades of violet.

ooo

_*****__Used UK title for Harry Potter book since the series originated in England._

_ooo  
_

_**#29: flattery**_

the emperor & the nightingale: part one

Somewhere in a different universe, Sakura failed the Final Judgment.

The results were immediate. Time ground to a halt as Yue pronounced her sentence: to live in a world where everyone involved with the Clow Cards would lose their memories of the one they loved most. Tomoyo's grip on her camera shook. Cerberus roared in protest as Syaoran drew his sword-even Miss Mizuki was ready to stand her ground-but surprisingly, it was the cards themselves that rose up against the Moon Guardian. They were ready to defend their new mistress despite her failure.

"This is Clow Reed's law," he said. "Do you dare defy your creator?"

They did not-could not. And so they reluctantly withdrew, one-by-one, back to their places in the Book of Clow. Wood was the last to go, dropping a still-sleeping Sakura gently by Cerberus' feet before joining the others in her sealed form.

"Yue…why?" the sun guardian asked.

Icy blue eyes met his imploring gaze. "She was unworthy."

The last thing Tomoyo hears is Cerberus's anguished cry before all goes black.

xxxxx

Morning dawns bright and beautiful the next day. Tomoyo wakes slowly, as if from a long dream. She checks her clock-plenty of time to get ready and walk to school.

But wait, that was silly. She never walked, not when her bodyguards always drove her there. Strolling through the streets when the cherry blossoms were blooming was pleasant enough, but it was a sight she'd seen in Tomoeda for years. So she rolls back onto bed and sleeps for another half an hour.

xxxxx

The limousine pulls away as Tomoyo makes her way towards the school doors. On the way, she nearly gets run over by a shorthaired, green-eyed girl that looks vaguely familiar.

"H-hoee! I'm sorry about that!" the girl bows immediately, one hand sheepishly scratching her head. "I'm so clumsy! Are you hurt?"

"I'm all right," Tomoyo gives her a polite smile. "You should watch where you're going, though, just in case."

"Yeah. I'm glad you're okay. Thanks!" the girl flashes her a grin before running off. Tomoyo looks after her and feels oddly nostalgic. She looked familiar…

…ah, yes. They were in the same class and supposed to be second cousins, according to her mother. The girl was named after a flower or something…what was it again? Daisy? Daffodil?

Well, she'd remember sooner or later.

Her mother had enrolled her in Tomoeda Elementary in third grade, hoping that Tomoyo would strike up a friendship with the daughter of Nadeshiko. But they'd never had a chance to click. The girl-Saffron or Saki?-was friendly enough, and energetic, but she was a very different from Tomoyo. She was part of the cheerleading club and quite the athlete. Rumors were that she was cheerful but sometimes a bit too dense. Despite sitting next to each other, they never interacted beyond formal pleasantries.

As things stood, Tomoyo would probably end up going to that London boarding school. They were willing to offer her a full scholarship by her singing talents alone. It was a golden opportunity, and she had nothing to lose by going aboard, right?

A year later, she does exactly that.

xxxxx

The school in question is full of students with impeccable British accents. On her first day of class, a prefect introduces her to another student who speaks Japanese.

"Welcome to London, Daidouji-san."

The suffix is a kindly reminder of her home and Japan. Nonetheless, she remembers her English manners and offers her hand. "Thank you, Mister…?"

He takes it and gives it a firm yet gentle shake. "My apologies for not introducing myself. You can call me Hiiragizawa-san."

"I see. Thank you, Hiiragizawa-san."

His smile is warm and sincerely friendly, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes, Tomoyo notes.

Hiiragizawa-san-or Eriol, as everyone else calls him, turns out to be a vastly talented pianist, albeit a notoriously reclusive one. When Tomoyo is scheduled to sing at the school concert, he unexpectedly offers to be her accompanist. She is both surprised and flattered to accept.

xxxxx

It is during a break in one of their rehearsal sessions that he first starts to ask her questions.

"Do you enjoy singing, Daidouji-san?"

Distracted by a complicated measure, Tomoyo only looks up briefly from her lyrics sheet. "Hmm? Oh yes, Hiiragizawa-san."

"I expect you must have sang often at your old school."

"Mmm. We had many concerts."

"Your friends must have attended all of them."

"I presume so. Most of them were held during school hours, so everyone came."

xxxxx

"Do you have any hobbies, Daidouji-san?"

Tomoyo swallows her sip of water and glances at Eriol, puzzled at his train of thought. But he remains sitting at the piano, staring at the black and white keys.

"Well," she says, deciding to humor him. "I used to do a lot of video recording."

"You don't anymore?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"I was curious." He looks up, catching her bemused stare, and gives another one of his enigmatic smiles. "Why did you stop?"

Tomoyo shakes her head and brushes hair out of her face. "I suppose I thought it wasn't very interesting."

xxxxx

Eriol is always there first at their rehearsal sessions, even when Tomoyo makes a point of arriving early. One day she gets delayed helping out a classmate after school and ends up running to the music room to make it for their practice session.

"S-sorry, Hiiragizawa-kun," she puffs out as she opens the door-by now she's familiar enough with him to drop the '-san'. "I went to help-"

She stops speaking then, because the room is empty. Tomoyo steps in and looks around. The piano is in its usual corner, but closed and untouched. Did she pick the wrong room?

The door behind her creaks, and Tomoyo turns in expectation. "Hiira-"

The name dies on her lips as an elegant-looking lady enters instead. She is tall and fair-skinned, with a pleasant expression and long red hair. Tomoyo recognizes her as the substitute teacher who came to Tomoeda a few years ago.

"Miss Mizuki?" she asks, hesitantly in English.

The woman gives her a passing look before her eyes lit up in recognition. "Ah, Miss Daidouji! What a pleasant surprise to see you again." Her English is flawless. "Have you seen Mr. Hiiragizawa? I heard he practices here after school."

Tomoyo nods. "Yes, he should be here soon." She hoped. "Are you his teacher?"

Miss Mizuki shakes her head. "No. But his English teacher left me with one of his reports." She holds up a large manila envelope. "Will you pass this on to him? I still need finishing grading papers for my class."

"There's no need."

Tomoyo and the woman both turn as Eriol walks in.

"I hope you didn't wait long, Daidouji-san," he apologizes. "And thank you for bringing my report, Miss Mizuki. I'm sorry to inconvenience you."

"There's no need to apologize." Miss Mizuki gracefully relinquishes the envelope. "And you're quite welcome."

She turns to Tomoyo. "I remember your singing back in elementary school. If you two are performing at the concert, I'm sure it'll be excellent."

Tomoyo smiles and thanks her politely, while Eriol simply inclines his head.

"Well then, good luck!" Waving cheerfully, the young teacher left the room.

"Did you know Miss Mizuki once taught in Tomoeda?" Tomoyo asks off-handedly as she walks towards the piano. "I didn't expect to see her again. She hasn't changed a bit."

"Is that so?" Eriol wonders aloud. Something in his voice makes Tomoyo stop and look at him, still standing with his head bowed, staring at the place where Kaho Mizuki was talking to them a few seconds earlier.

She's not sure why, but it's a sight that makes her heart ache.

xxxxx

At the concert, Tomoyo finishes her song to thunderous applause. She is gifted with a bouquet of red roses before the curtain closes.

"Congratulations on your hard work." Eriol says as they walk offstage.

"Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you." Tomoyo inhales deeply from the bouquet. "These are lovely roses."

"I'm glad you like them. I picked them out myself."

She looks up in surprise. "You did?"

He smiles and gives her a brief bow. "Please accept them as a sign of appreciation for a lovely voice."

Tomoyo laughs lightly. "Hiiragizawa-kun is quite the gentleman." But the next thing she does is to split the bouquet and present a handful of roses to Eriol. "Here. Take this."

The boy looks at her blankly as he accepts them. "This is…?"

"I said it before, didn't I? I couldn't have done this without you." Tomoyo beams at him. "So you deserve at least half the credit. We should share the bouquet."

"This is unexpected, Daidouji-san." Eriol looks helplessly between the flowers and the happy girl before him.

"Mmm, perhaps. But I think, next time..." Tomoyo tilts her head and taps her chin thoughtfully. "Hiiragizawa-kun should give roses to the one he likes best."

"Then he'll smile with his eyes, too."

ooo

**Closing Notes: **Eight down, 22 more to go. Next installment will come out eventually. I'm a slow updater though, because I'm 100% involved with Real Life. However, I won't quite fics unless specifically stated in the summary. Ciao!


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